Disk casing and index card for the disk casing

ABSTRACT

An index card for a flat disk casing includes a lower lid. The lower lid is provided with an integral or a separate piece disk tray and an upper lid which is integral with or separated from the lower lid and is connected to the lower lid to be opened and closed by way of a hinge portion and is mounted on an inner surface of the upper lid, A label portion at one end portion of the index card projects from the one end portion and the index card is movable between a first position in which the whole of the index card including the label portion is accommodated inside the inner surface of the upper lid and a second position in which the label portion projects outward from one end portion of the disk casing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a disk casing for accommodating an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD and an index card for the disk casing.

2. Description of the Related Art

As a disk casing for accommodating an optical disk, there has been in wide use a three-piece disk casing which is 10 mm in thickness and comprises a disk tray, a lower lid which accommodates and fixes the disk tray to be removable therefrom and a plastic upper lid which is pivoted on the lower lid to be opened and closed.

However, since such a disk casing has an enough inner space for accommodating the disk which is 1.2 mm in thickness and accordingly involves a problem that it is bulky when stored, for instance, a two-piece thin-type disk casing which is 4 to 7 mm in thickness or a one-piece thin-type disk casing has been proposed.

In the case of the two-piece disk casing unlike the ordinary three-piece disk casing, it is impossible to mount a lower index card having a back label portion inserted between the disk tray and the lower lid and accordingly, an upper index card without a back label portion is only mounted on an inner surface of the upper lid. Accordingly, when a number of disk casings are stacked or are accommodated in a rack, information on what is recorded on the disk becomes invisible and to know what is recorded on the disk, it is necessary to take out the disk casings one by one and check what is recorded on the disk by the upper index card which is visible from outside through the transparent upper lid, which is troublesome.

In order to overcome this problem, for instance, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-080085, there has been proposed a two-piece thin-type disk casing in which an index card with a back label portion can be installed. However, the two-piece thin-type disk casing gives rise to a problem in visibility since the back label portion is very narrow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing observations and description, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an index card in which what is recorded in the disk can be displayed at a good visibility even if a number of thin-type disk casings are stacked or are accommodated in a rack and a disk casing provided with such an index card.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an index card which is for a flat disk casing comprising a lower lid provided with an integral or a separate piece disk tray and an upper lid which is integral with or separated from the lower lid and is connected to the lower lid to be opened and closed by way of a hinge portion and is mounted on an inner surface of the upper lid,

characterized by having a label portion at one end portion thereof to project from the one end portion and by being movable between a first position in which the whole of the index card including the label portion is accommodated inside the inner surface of the upper lid and a second position in which the label portion projects outward from one end portion of the disk casing.

In accordance with the present invention, there is further provided a disk casing wherein the index card can be mounted and first and second holding means which can be engaged with end portions of the index card to hold the index card respectively in the first and second positions are provided on the inner surface of the upper lid.

The first holding means may include a protrusion formed on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid close to the opening/closing axis of the upper lid, about which the upper lid opens and closes, substantially in parallel to the opening/closing axis. Otherwise, the first holding means may include a projection formed on inner surfaces of opposite side walls of the upper lid close to the opening/closing axis of the upper lid.

Further, the second holding means may include an elevated portion formed on the side of each of side walls on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid or formed substantially at the middle between the side walls.

In accordance with the index card of the present invention, since the label portion projects outward from one end portion of the disk casing in the second position thereof, by recording information, on what is recorded in the disk, on the label portion, the information can be checked as it is even if a number of the disk casings are stacked or are accommodated in a rack.

Further, in accordance with the index card of the present invention, since the whole of the index card including the label portion is accommodated inside the upper lid in the first position thereof, the label portion cannot obstruct the circulation thereof by accommodating there the index card.

When the second holding means includes an elevated portion formed on the side of each of side walls on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid or formed substantially at the middle between the side walls, the elevated portion forming the second holding means does not interfere with the index card to make hard insertion of the index card even when the index card is to be inserted into the first position beyond the second position during assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an index card in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a disk casing in which the index card shown in FIG. 1 is installed with the upper lid thereof opened,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along a line 3-3 in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along a line 4-4 in FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along a line 5-5 in FIG. 2,

FIG. 6 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state where the index card is in the first position,

FIG. 7 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state where the index card is in the second position, and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the disk casing when the upper lid is closed from the state shown in FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, an index card 30 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises a substantially square body portion 31 defined by a pair of opposite side edges 31 b, and front and rear ends 31 c and 31 d and a label portion 32 projects from the rear end 31 d.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a two-piece, thin type disk casing in which the index card 30 shown in FIG. 1 is installed with the upper lid thereof opened.

The disk casing 20 comprises a lower lid 1 which is provided with a disk damper 2 at the center of the inner surface and doubles a disk tray, and a transparent upper lid 11 hinged to the lower lid 1 to be opened and closed about an axis L, and the lower lid 1 is formed by an end wall 3 which extends along the axis L at an end portion near the axis L, an end wall 7 remote from the axis L, and a pair of side walls 4 perpendicular to the end walls 3 and 7, and a shallow recess 6 is formed on the end wall 7 to permit the label portion 32 of the index card 30 to projects outside the end wall 7.

The upper lid 11 comprises a back plate 13 which extends along the axis L at an end portion near the axis L, and side walls 14 perpendicular to the back plate 13 on opposite ends of the back plate 13.

The hinge portion between the lower lid 1 and the upper lid 11 comprises a pair of lower-lid-side hinge arms 5 each of which projects from the axis-L-side end of the side wall 14 in the direction of extension thereof and is provided with a short shaft on the inner surface thereof, and a pair of upper-lid-side ribs 15 which are provided with axis holes to be engaged with the short shaft and are mounted inside the hinge arm 5.

On the inner surface of each side wall 14 of the upper lid 11, is formed a holding projection 16 for holding the index card 30 on the inner surface of a main plate portion 12 of the upper lid 11, and on the inner surface of the main plate portion 12, is formed a protrusion 17 as a stopper, for stopping the index card 30, substantially in parallel to the axis L closely to the back plate 13 or the opening/closing axis L.

Though the structure described above is the same as the conventional thin-type disk casing, the disk casing 20 shown in FIG. 2 is provided on the inner surface of the main plate portion 12 thereof with a pair of projections 18 which extends inward on the side of the protrusion 17 opposite to the back plate 13 from each side wall 14. The projections 18, as is clear from FIGS. 3 and 4 which are enlarged cross-sections along lines 3-3 and 4-4 in FIG. 2, form vertical surfaces 18 a apart from the surface 17 a of the protrusion 17 by a predetermined distance D opposite to the back plate 13, and the upper surface 18 b of each of the vertical surfaces 18 a forms a slant surface (a tapered surface or an arcuate surface) which gradually lowers inward from a height substantially equal to the height of protrusion 17 to be flush with the inner surface of the main plate portion 12. The predetermined distance D corresponds to the distance of projection of the label portion 32 of the index card 30 shown in FIG. 1.

Instead of the projections 18, a single elevated portion 18′ may be formed substantially at the middle between the side walls 14 as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 2 or by the solid line in FIG. 5 which is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2, and the upper surface 18′b of the elevated portion 18′ forms a slant surface (a tapered surface or an arcuate surface) which gradually lowers outward from the center thereof which is of a height substantially equal to the height of protrusion 17 to be flush with the inner surface of the main plate portion 12.

A plurality of projections 19 are arranged in a row on an edge portion 12 a opposite to the back plate 13 of the inner surface of the main plate portion 12 as a stopper, for stopping the index card 30.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state where the index card 30 shown in FIG. 1 is installed on the inner surface of the upper lid 11 of the disk casing 20 shown in FIG. 2. In the state shown in FIG. 6, the front end 31 c of the body portion 31 of the index card 30 is close to the inside of the protrusion 17 and an outer end 32 a of the label portion 32 is close to the inside of one 19 s of the plurality of projections 19, whereby the protrusion 17 and the projection 19 s form an index stopper which is a first holding means.

When the index card 30 is moved to a state where the label portion 32 projects outside from the edge portion 12 a of the main plate portion 12 of the outer lid 11 as shown in FIG. 7, the front end 31 c of the body portion 31 of the index card 30 is close to the inside of the vertical surfaces 18 a of the projections 18 and the rear end 31 d of the body portion 31 is close to the inside of the plurality of projections 19 but one 19 s, whereby the projections 18 and the plurality of projections 19 but one 19 s form an index stopper which is a second holding means and the index card 30 is held on the inner surface of the main plate portion 12 of the upper lid 11 in this state.

Accordingly, when the upper lid 11 is closed as shown in FIG. 8, the label portion 32 of the index card 30 projects outside from the end wall 20 a of the disk casing 20 and information on what is recorded in the disk can be checked as it is from the record on the label portion 32 even if a number of the disk casings 20 are stacked or are accommodated in a rack.

Further, in accordance with the index card 30 of this embodiment, since the whole of the index card 30 including the label portion 32 is accommodated inside the upper lid 11 in the second position shown in FIG. 6, there is no fear that the label portion 32 can obstruct the circulation thereof by accommodating there the index card 30.

Further, since the projections are formed on the side of the side walls 14 of the upper lid 11 or at substantially the middle between the side walls 14 of the upper lid 11, and the upper surface 18 b or 18′b thereof forms a slant surface which gradually lowers from a height substantially equal to the height of protrusion 17 to be flush with the inner surface of the main plate portion 12 as clearly shown in FIG. 4 or 5, insertion of the index card 30 is facilitated even when the index card 30 is to be inserted into the first position beyond the second position during assembly by slightly bending the index card 30 to clear the projections 18 or 18′ so that the front end 31 c of the body portion 31 of the index card 30 cannot abut against the projections 18 or 18′.

When the projections 18 are formed on the side of the side walls 14 of the upper lid 11, the front end 31 c of the body portion 31 of the index card 30 can be surely engaged with the projections 18 by bending in advance the body portion 31 of the index card 30 so that the opposite side edges 31 b are nearer to the back side of the main plate portion 12 of the upper lid 11 than a central portion.

Similarly, when the projections 18′ are formed at a middle portion between the side walls 14 of the upper lid 11, the front end 31 c of the body portion 31 of the index card 30 can be surely engaged with the projections 18′ by bending in advance the body portion 31 of the index card 30 so that the opposite side edges 31 b are nearer to the back side of the main plate portion 12 of the upper lid 11 than the central portion.

Further, by preparing a plurality of index cards 30 which are different from each other in the position of the label portion 32 in the rear end 31 d of the body portion 31, visibility of the label portion 32 can be further improved when a plurality of disk casings 20 are stacked.

The present invention can be applied to not only the two-piece disk casing described above but also three-piece disk casings comprising a disk tray separate from the lower lid or one-piece disk casings where a lower lid which doubles a disk tray is integrated with an upper lid. 

1. An index card which is for a flat disk casing comprising a lower lid provided with an integral or a separate piece disk tray and an upper lid which is integral with or separated from the lower lid and is connected to the lower lid to be opened and closed by way of a hinge portion and is mounted on an inner surface of the upper lid, characterized by having a label portion at one end portion thereof to project from the one end portion and by being movable between a first position in which the whole of the index card including the label portion is accommodated inside the inner surface of the upper lid and a second position in which the label portion projects outward from one end portion of the disk casing.
 2. A disk casing wherein an index card defined in claim 1 can be mounted and first and second holding means which can be engaged with end portions of the index card to hold the index card respectively in the first and second positions are provided on the inner surface of the upper lid.
 3. A disk casing as defined in claim 2 in which the first holding means includes a protrusion formed on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid close to the opening/closing axis of the upper lid, about which the upper lid opens and closes, substantially in parallel to the opening/closing axis.
 4. A disk casing as defined in claim 2 in which the second holding means includes an elevated portion formed on the side of each of side walls on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid.
 5. A disk casing as defined in claim 3 in which the second holding means includes an elevated portion formed on the side of each of side walls on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid.
 6. A disk casing as defined in claim 2 in which the second holding means includes an elevated portion formed substantially at the middle between the side walls on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid.
 7. A disk casing as defined in claim 3 in which the second holding means includes an elevated portion formed substantially at the middle between the side walls on an inner surface of a main plate portion of the upper lid. 